Walmart donated to needy families more than $400 worth of groceries that allegedly had been stolen from the store by two people from Pacific and then recovered by Eureka Police, Capt. David Wilson said.
The families in need had participated in the Eureka Shop with a Cop program.
At about 5 p.m. Dec. 17, a 34-year-old Pacific woman and a 33-year-old Pacific man arrived at the store, 131 Eureka Towne Center, and filled a shopping cart with groceries. At 5:34 p.m., the two were seen in surveillance video allegedly exiting the store without paying for the items, the police report said.
The two then left the parking lot in a 2005 Nissan Quest, traveling west on Fifth Street. Police stopped the minivan, and when they looked inside, officers allegedly found more than 100 grocery items in the vehicle, according to the report.
The two were arrested and taken to the Police Station, where they were booked and released, the report said.
Eureka Police will seek stealing charges against the pair in Eureka Municipal Court, Wilson said.
The groceries were valued at $410, and because the store could not re-sell the items, Walmart donated them to the Eureka Police to distribute to families in need, Wilson said.